Hello Everyone,

I found this great site the other day on how you can save money doing little things to your home, so I wanted to share some with you. I will feature a few more later in the week, but let's start off with this one:

Plant a deciduous tree on the south, west, or east side of your house. Once mature, it'll shade your roof and cut your cooling costs by up to 30 percent.

Cost: $25 to $70, depending on the tree species.
Savings: About $120 per year on air-conditioning.
Bonus: The tree drops its leaves each fall, so you'll still get the warming benefit of winter sun.

Handy Hints Holly

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Hint 1: Turn down the thermostat on your water heater. It's probably set at 140 degrees F to shorten the wait time for a steamy shower. But 120 or even 110 degrees is plenty hot.

Cost: A few minutes with a screwdriver in the utility room.
Savings: $30 or more per year on gas, oil, electricity, or
propane.
Bonus: Your kids are less likely to scald themselves if the
max water temperature is 120.

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Hint 2: Wait to replace your grill, lawn mower, or patio furniture until the fall, when stores mark down their inventory to make room for holiday decorations and snowblowers.

Cost: Making do with what you have this summer.
Savings: $150 or more per item.
Bonus: Retailers-especially online ones, such as Target-often provide free shipping on leftover warm-weather gear.